The present invention relates to image display apparatus which provide a feeling of play from a visual standpoint, using a memory of a small capacity, an apparatus which performs an automatic performance or accompaniment on the basis of a pattern stored previously in a memory, and more particularly to such apparatus which provides an animation display synchronized with the advancement of an automatic performance or accompaniment, using a memory of a small capacity.
The diffusion of electronic musical instruments such as electronic keyboards, electronic wind instruments, electronic stringed instruments allows us to easily enjoy various kinds of musical sounds. In addition, a single electronic musical instrument can easily provide various kinds of musical sounds.
In order to provide performance effects full of variety by simple operations, many electronic instruments with an automatic accompaniment unit have been developed.
In this case, the aspect of an automatic accompaniment includes an automatic accompaniment using a rhythm musical instrument sound, an automatic accompaniment using an accompaniment of bass and chord, etc., to thereby improve a musical presentation.
The automatic accompaniment includes iteration of a kind of rhythm, for example, iteration of a given accompaniment pattern such as rock, waltz or march. In an automatic accompaniment device which performs an automatic accompaniment of bass and chord, the timing of generating a chord sound is designated, for example, by a pattern of a set of 16 steps corresponding to a sixteenth note (hereinafter referred to as a chord pattern). Namely, it is determined whether a chord sound is generated at each step, chord patterns of 16 steps are sequentially read out at constant tempo, it is determined and controlled whether a chord sound is to be generated at each step while the timing of generating the chord sound is being controlled, and these chords are performed while repeatedly reading the 16 steps, which produces a musically rhythmical accompaniment effect.
At this time, how to designate chord sounds advanced and generated in the chord pattern or how to designate the kind of a chord to the advancement of a melody is made by the performer, by using a particular key region on the keyboard (hereinafter referred to as the accompaniment key) when required, or is made by automatic accompaniment on the basis of the chord advancement beforehand stored by the performer into a predetermined chord memory.
The instrument body has an ending switch and a fill-in switch. If the ending switching is operated, the pattern of an automatic accompaniment which has been played at that time is switched to the ending pattern. If the fill-in switch is operated, the pattern of an automatic accompaniment pattern which has been played at that time is switched to the fill-in pattern. If the fill-pattern ends, the automatic accompaniment of the original accompaniment pattern again starts. Therefore, the user of this instrument obtains automatic accompaniment to the composition of a melody to be played by operating the ending switch and/or fill-in switch.
Since the automatic accompaniment apparatus plays the automatic accompaniment of a rhythm musical instrument sound, bass and chord using the designated chord or chords based on data on the beforehand stored chord advancement, it provides an acoustic feeling of play in any accompaniment pattern and chord advancement. However, a visual feeling of play cannot be obtained.
As mentioned above, the conventional automatic accompaniment apparatus only changes the accompaniment pattern by operating the switches, so that automatic accompaniment to the composition of a melody provides an acoustic feeling of play, but not a visual feeling of play.